McDonald’s to remove artificial ingredients from classic burgers in US. Credit: McDonald’s Corporation.

Global fast food chain McDonald’s has committed to remove preservatives, flavours and added colours from its classic burgers across 14,000 restaurants in the US.

This move by the fast food giant forms a part of its customer-driven initiatives launched in the US.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The classic burgers consist of the hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, McDouble, quarter pounder with cheese, double quarter pounder with cheese and Big Mac.

However, the company is offering pickle in its restaurants as an artificial preservative which customers can skip if they prefer.

McDonald’s USA president Chris Kempczinski said: “From switching to 100% fresh beef in our quarter-pound burgers, cooked right when ordered, to removing artificial preservatives in our chicken McNuggets, and committing to cage-free eggs by 2025, we have made significant strides in evolving the quality of our food.

“We understand that now more than ever, people care about their food – where it comes from, what goes into it and how it is prepared.”

“We know quality choices are important to our customers, and this latest positive change to our classic burgers demonstrates our committed journey to leading with the customer and building a better McDonald’s.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The restaurant chain has already removed artificial preservatives from its real American cheese, Big Mac special sauce and bun, the regular bun and the quarter pounder bun.

Other initiatives by McDonald’s include sustainably sourcing all McCafé coffee by 2020 and sourcing a portion of its beef from suppliers participating in sustainability programmes across ten countries by 2020.

McDonald’s vice president of menu innovation Linda VanGosen said: “We understand that now more than ever, people care about their food – where it comes from, what goes into it and how it is prepared – and we are committed to make changes to our menu our guests feel good about.”